Fire And Ice 2: It's Time
by CaptainJayfeather29
Summary: Time for Thornhaze to find the six. Time for Cedarheart to discover who he really is. Time for Hollowlight to do some barf-worthy things. And time for Lilykit to get on her paws, take a deep breath, and scream.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

Hollyflame loved watching the fire that came off of Lizardstone's kits. She loved watching Thornhaze go to the ruins every half moon, always wondering if the fire would catch on any of the trees. She loved watching Cedarheart's warrior ceremony, and when he asked Roseburst to be his mate. Though she knew that no living cat could see the fire like StarClan cats could, it was still interesting to watch.

Then, she would walk over to the sky above MarshClan, where Birchpaw and Risingpaw simply glowed with sunlight. Hollyflame had to put a leaf over her eyes to not be blinded by the light they radiated. Birchpaw would be a strong warrior, that was for sure. And maybe Risingpaw would be leader one day. They had great potential.

But the higher ranks of StarClan kept from her the location of the pair that had the ice element. She knew they were somewhere in the Clans, but she couldn't see the ice that would surround them. The higher ranks had to give her that sight, but they wouldn't.

But there was something else on Hollyflame's mind. Hollowlight. The she-cat had been avoiding everyone lately, except Echobranch. Hollyflame suspected that she was jealous of her, because she had become Duckwing's mate when Hollowlight liked him, too. But what really set off Hollyflame was that Hollowlight dug her up one day and started inspecting the rotting flesh and bone. She had never seen anyone do something so horrific. ...why? Why would Hollowlight dig her up? It was disgusting enough to see your own body from a third-person view, but when you see this…?

She had to find out what Hollowlight was doing.

Suddenly, something else popped up in her mind. An anger from a long time ago.

Lizardstone had never told anyone except Thornhaze about how she killed her. Hollyflame was furious at the fact that her sister was too cowardly to admit it. But then again, Hollyflame was the one who told her to kill her.

What a confusing time, this was.


	2. Chapter 1

**Well.**

**It's been a minute since the last time I've posted, xd.**

**Anyways enjoy.**

**Chapter 1**

"We shouldn't be here." Barkkit seemed to shrink in his pelt as he took in the forest. Lilykit couldn't help but snort. Why was her brother so scared? This was literally the most exciting day of her life and he was going to ruin it. "Maybe we should go home…"

"No!" Lilykit protested. "If we're going to be warriors, we need to know these trees." She ran to the nearest trunk and wrapped her paws around it. "Like this one." She ran to another. "And this one, and this one, and this one…"

When Lilykit was sure she had hugged every tree circling the tunnel to camp, she sat down confidently in front of Barkkit. "So we better start learning."

He rose to his paws, narrowed his eyes, and stalked over to the tunnel entrance. "Well, I'm choosing to be safe." The tomkit declared. "If you want to be eaten by foxes, be my guest."

"I would listen to your brother if I were you." Both kits turned as Thornhaze emerged from a bush, then stuck his head back and pulled out the front of a large branch.

"What's that?" Lilykit ignored Thornhaze's remark. "What are you doing with it?"

"Bringing it to SunClan territory." The medicine cat responded. "Then I hope they can get MarshClan to dispose of it."

"Why?" Lilykit wondered. "Why can't we use it?"

"You see these berries?" Thornhaze asked after he pulled the branch farther out, revealing red dots. "They're called deathberries. They need to be disposed of before any cat gets hurt."

"Can we come?!" Lilykit asked, turning to her brother. But to her surprise, Barkkit wasn't there. _Must have gone back to camp. _"Can _I_ come?"

"Absolutely not." The ginger cat meowed through a mouth of branch. "Go back to Crimsonwing."

Lilykit groaned and ran into the tunnel. Emerging into camp, she dragged her paws to the nursery, where Crimsonwing and Barkkit were waiting.

"Your brother says you were trying to explore the territory." Her mother hissed. "Thank StarClan Thornhaze was there. You could have killed yourself!"

"Sorry." Lilykit dropped her head.

"One day you'll be able to go wherever you want." Crimsonwing assured her daughter. "You just have to be patient."

"But three moons is such a long time!" The she-kit ran into the nursery and buried her face in the moss of her nest. "What am I supposed to do in the meantime?"

"You could help Antcoat with his ticks, since there are no apprentices."

_I'll be doing that until I'm twelve moons old, so why spend more time than I have to doing it?_ Lilykit thought. "No."

Crimsonwing mumbled something under her breath. Lilykit felt her mother's shadow crawl over her back until she was completely submerged in it. "I know, I was a kit once too." Lilykit sighed, not moving as Crimsonwing licked her kit between the ears. "It's hard, but you'll get through it."

But Lilykit had heard stories of how young kits had died in more ways than she could count. Swallowing hard, the she-kit sat down as her mother washed her. _What if I end up like them?_

A sudden _boom_ from outside made Crimsonwing stop. Lilykit's mind went blank as Barkkit cried: "Twolegs?!"

"No, that's called thunder." The orange queen told him. "The spirits of our ThunderClan ancestors looking down on us."

"Does that mean that WindClan spirits are going by every time the wind blows?" Lilykit questioned.

"That's right." Crimsonwing responded, turning to the entrance of the nursery. "And ShadowClan warriors rule the night."

"Cool." Barkkit seemed unimpressed. The orange tomkit was laying in the nest, curled up facing the wall. Lilykit wanted to laugh. Why was her brother so down all the time?

"I want to go out in the rain." Lilykit stated, changing the subject. "It looks like fun."

"No, you'll catch a cold." Crimsonwing retorted. "We wouldn't want that, would we?"

Lilykit stepped out of her mother's paws and went to join Barkkit in their nest. _Why can't I just explore a little?_


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Cedarheart watched as Roseburst sat in the middle of the clearing, when every other cat was running to escape the rain. He cowered in the warrior's den, staring at his mate.

Roseburst had her eyes closed, her face turned up against the sky. Rain pelted against her fur but she didn't seem to care. Cedarheart felt his ears get hot. _She's beautiful._

"Does anyone know where Thornhaze is?" Gorseleaf's mew took Cedarheart out of his thoughts. "I haven't seen him since this morning."

"He probably got caught in the rain on one of his walks." Hailtwitch responded. "Typical Thornhaze."

Cedarheart looked down at the ground. "The wall's going to need patching after this." He meowed randomly. A few grunts met his words, as well as a few laughs.

"That wall sure does hate us." Fernpaws chimed in.

Cedarheart purred at the warrior's joke, and turned his gaze back to Roseburst, who had stood up and was running towards the elders' den. The tom tried not to show his disappointment that she hadn't come here.

"We'll be here for awhile." Cobaltstripe sent a _thump_ through the earth as he collapsed into his nest. "Make yourselves comfortable."

At the silver tom's words, Cedarheart rummaged around the gathered cats until he found his nest. Laying down, He closed his eyes and waited for the rain to lull him to sleep.

"Cedarheart."

The warrior woke with a start. He noted that the sound of rain had stopped as he rose to his paws and opened his eyes.

He wasn't in the warriors' den.

Cedarheart found himself in the gorge where he was born, which he hadn't ever remembered in the waking world. The scents of leaf-bare mixed with newleaf hung in the air. Then, a scream tore out.

Cedarheart turned to see Lizardstone -who he hadn't remembered either- limping into the gorge. She was yelling in pain, and finally fell to the ground.

"Lizardstone!" A brown tom with limp legs made his way over to her, as she tried to make her way over to him, pulling herself across the ground. The brown tom couldn't make it in time for when the first kit came out.

Cedarheart stared in a tangle of mixed emotions as he watched Thornhaze emerge from his mother's body. The tiny version of his brother squealed and gasped as he clung to his mother's fur. Then, as Lizardstone let out another yowl, Cedarheart saw himself.

The warrior began to back up as his miniature self began to shake and spasm all over the dirt. Lizardstone pulled Thornhaze closer while reaching for her other kit, who had gone still on the sand.

Cedarheart started to hyperventilate as he realized what had happened.

He was dead.

The golden tom bowed his head, shaking it. Then, as the world began to dissolve around him, he tilted his head to the sun and cried: "Why are you showing me this?"

When he turned his head down again, he saw red light filtering through trees, and a massive gray tom and an orange tabby tom. "Cedarpaw shouldn't exist!" The voice of the gray tom seemed to be many voices put together, ringing right in Cedarheart's ears. "Stormstar is still alive!"

The cat's eyes opened. He looked around frantically, his breath rapid and shallow. The warriors' den was completely empty, except for a small beige and brown kit on the other side of the space.

"You shouldn't be here." Cedarheart mumbled. Lilykit just stared at him blankly.

"Go on," Cedarheart rose to his paws, "Do you _want_ to get in trouble?"

Lilykit stared for a few more heartbeats before snorting and rolling in Alderfern's nest with laughter. "You were… yelling." She mewed between laughs. "'Why are you showing me this?' 'Help!'" The kit rolled onto her stomach and laughed into Alderfern's moss.

"You know Alderfern's going to be mad if he smells you when he's trying to sleep." Cedarheart hissed. "You better find some lavender before he finds you."

Lilykit didn't seem to care. But, to Cedarheart's relief, she climbed out of the nest and sat right in front of the warrior, looking up at him with huge amber eyes. "What's a lavender?"

Cedarheart groaned under his breath and told the she-kit: "Go find your mother."

Lilykit looked down, dropping her tail as she trudged out of the warriors' den. Cedarheart watched her shadow get taller and taller until it disappeared.

_Kits._ The tom folded his paws under him and laid his head on the moss, where his thoughts took over his headspace. _Maybe I was too harsh on her. Will I be like that when I have kits?_ The thought of him and Roseburst having a family had been nagging him for the last quarter-moon. His dreams were filled with tiny squeals and a feeling of joy that Cedarheart didn't know how to describe. _Maybe I should talk to Thornhaze. He'll know what to do._ His brother _always_ knew what to do.

With a sigh, Cedarheart stood up and walked out of the warriors' den. He had to squint as light filled his eyes. _The rain's definitely over._

"Hi!" Roseburst's excited mew made Cedarheart turn his head as the she-cat came running towards her mate. She purred as she buried her face into his neck fur. Cedarheart turned down and licked her between the ears. "You missed the dawn patrol."

"I did?"

"Yeah." Roseburst's voice was barely audible with her face submerged in fur. Cedarheart pulled away from her and looked her straight in the eyes.

"Do you want to go hunting?" He asked awkwardly. "T-there's something I've been meaning to talk to you about."

But Roseburst was already headed out of camp. "What are you waiting for?"


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Thornhaze walked in circles around the Ruins, waiting for Stormleaf to arrive. Gorseleaf was making shapes in the dirt and Snowtail and Puddlemist were quizzing each other on herbs. Tumbling Wind was watching the sky as Misty Light whispered something in her ear.

"What's taking so long?" Puddlemist broke the silence. "Stormleaf is usually the first one here."

"Maybe some cat in her Clan needs all of her attention." Misty Light suggested.

"Wouldn't she have sent someone to tell us, like when Robinstar was dying and she needed to be there all the time?" Tumbling Wind meowed.

"No," Gorseleaf started, "Something's seriously wrong."

"Maybe StarClan will tell us, if we start now." Thornhaze stopped pacing and turned to the other medicine cats. He was itching to speak with his warrior ancestors, after what Fawnbreeze had told him at the last half-moon meeting.

"Find this branch," the starry she-cat had told him while showing him the branch of deathberries, "you'll need them."

He wanted to know what was so important. But he couldn't find out until Stormleaf came. After no cat responded to his words, Thornhaze realized that he had been extremely rude to the DustClan medicine cat.

And so more and more silence followed until the moon was at its peak in the sky, completely illuminating the stones of the Ruins.

"Alright." Tumbling Wind's voice made Thornhaze jump. "We've given her long enough."

Thornhaze made himself push his excited feelings down. _There's definitely something wrong._ He thought as he touched his nose to the cold stone.

A shiver passed through the medicine cat's body, and when he opened his eyes, he was in the unused territory on DustClan's other border. He could smell the salty water of the Burning Sea and feel the wind coming from the mountains. The trees behind him swayed in the wind along with the medicine cat's fur. Moonlight shone down from the sky, giving the forest an eerie vibe.

"Hi."

Thornhaze spun around to see the shape of a cat, stars glittering in his light ginger pelt. White stripes split his back and blue eyes met the medicine cat's gaze.

"You're Blizzardstripe!" Thornhaze couldn't hide his excitement. How could he, when he was standing in the presence of one of the greatest cats to ever walk the earth. Blizzardstripe had been one of the six, who was given the gift of incredible strength. He was one of the cats to save the Clans from Nutstone.

The StarClan warrior looked unamused. "We sent you a vision when you were an apprentice," he started, "do you remember it?"

Thornhaze remembered when Hollyflame had tasked him with finding the new Six. "Yes, I-"

"Then why aren't you doing anything about it?" Blizzardstripe cut him off. "StarClan has waited for you to start looking, but you've seemed to ignore us."

"I got the branch!" Thornhaze protested. "I listened to you then!"

The striped tom nodded. "That branch is useless unless you follow your destiny and find the Six."

"What does it do?" He asked.

"The berries will kill anyone that eats them except the Six." Blizzardstripe looked at the ground. "They will help you find them."

"But what if I kill someone?" Thornhaze asked.

"Then… they die." The StarClan cat made it sound like the most obvious answer in the world. "And you suffer the consequences your Clan wants to give you."

Before the medicine cat could answer, his vision began to swim, and soon enough Thornhaze was back in the Ruins, where all the other medicine cats were beginning to stir.

Gorseleaf opened his mouth to say something, but he was interrupted by Snowtail.

"Stormleaf is dead." The MarshClan she-cat whispered. "I saw her in my vision."

Thornhaze felt a chill run down his spine, then dipped his head in grief. "She was a great cat." He mewed.

"She will be missed." Misty Light added on.

After a moment's silence, Gorseleaf exclaimed, "This is sad and all, but does anyone else realize that DustClan doesn't have a medicine cat anymore?"

Thornhaze's head flipped upward until he was looking straight ahead at the stone. "Stormleaf never had an apprentice."

"She knew she was getting old." Tumbling Wind's voice was muted by the great stones that were between her and Thornhaze. "She should have known to take an apprentice."

"But what do they do now?" Thornhaze wondered. "How do they survive without a medicine cat?"

"DustClan is probably debating that right now." Gorseleaf responded. "If they need any help from us, they'll send a warrior. We should focus on helping our own Clans."

Thornhaze had never heard something so absurd come out of his former mentor's mouth before. And when all the other cats nodded agreement, his anger intensified.

"If DustClan's warriors get sick or injured and they don't have a medicine cat, they'll get in serious trouble." Thornhaze's words made every cat pause on their way out of the hollow towards their Clans.

"Don't stick your nose into other Clans' business." Snowtail hissed.

_But it's _not _other Clans' business! This problem is too big for one Clan! And it's a medicine cat problem!_


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"Why can't I come?" Lilykit groaned, clinging onto Almondnose's back leg. "Gatherings sound so exciting!"

"You're only four moons old." Almondnose twisted his body to lick his kit between the ears. "You'll be going to gatherings before you know it."

Lilykit clinged onto her father's paw until he had to shake her off. She flopped to the hard stone, staring until the last tail-tip left the camp. And even after that, she smacked her head down on the ground, laying with all her paws spread out in all directions.

She didn't know how long she laid there.

"Hey, kit!" Hollowlight called from the warriors' den after more time that Lilykit cared to count. "You wanna go to sleep or something?"

"No." Lilykit spoke into the dirt.

"Well," Lilykit heard the red-gold she-cat get up, "can I show you something cool?"

Lilykit's head flew upwards. "Really?"

"Yeah. I've been wanting to show someone since I found it a half moon ago, when Gorseleaf and Thornhaze were at the Ruins." Hollowlight crossed in front of Lilykit on her way to the medicine den. The kit sprang up shortly after, excitedly following her.

"What are we looking for exactly?" Lilykit stopped at the entrance of the den as Hollowlight charged in. She squinted, struggling to see in the pitch blackness. A strong smell of herbs made her cough. _Disgusting! _

"This." The warrior grabbed a piece of wood and pulled a branch that Lilykit recognized out of a ditch in the corner of the den. "Do you see these berries?"

Lilykit walked into the den, coming up besides Hollowlight. "Thornhaze said they were poisonous."

Hollowlight paused for a heartbeat. "Thornhaze likes to joke around." She mewed as if she wasn't sure. "I've tried one. They're delicious."

Lilykit walked closer to the branch, seeing the red berries shine from the moonlight outside. She reached with her head and plucked one between her teeth. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" She asked.

"Of course." Hollowlight dipped her head until she was level with the kit. "Why would I put you in danger?"

Lilykit could see something else in the she-cat's green eyes, but couldn't define what it was. "I don't know." With a nod from Hollowlight, Lilykit chewed the flesh between her teeth. After a heartbeat she felt the seed of the fruit, resisting the urge to spit it out. After several moments, she swallowed the last of the deathberry.

Lilykit licked her muzzle. "Wow." She swallowed again. "That was actually pretty tasty. Why don't you have one?"

"Oh, uh, no thanks." Hollowlight was starting to back up towards the entrance. "I-I'm full."

"Are you okay?" Lilykit asked as she scrambled for another berry. As she devoured it, fear began to show in the warrior's eyes. "What is it?" The kit looked behind her, but there was nothing. When she looked back, Hollowlight was gone. _Huh._

A few more berries later, Lilykit decided to return to the nursery. As she walked across the clearing, she wanted to peek into the warriors' den to see Hollowlight, but didn't. _I can speak to her tomorrow._

"Where have you been?" Crimsonwing whispered as Lilykit pushed through the vines covering the entrance. "Were you waiting for the patrol to get back like you did last moon?"

Lilykit nodded, snuggling up to her mother and brother. "And then I-"

"Hush." Crimsonwing put her tail on her daughter's back. "We can talk in the morning."

Lilykit curled up into her mother, closing her eyes and waiting for sleep to come. When it did, she dreamed of a forest, in which she was running through the trees. A white cat ran by her side, laughter coming out of both their mouths.

Suddenly, the cat barreled into her, and the two went rolling across the grass until they stopped a few heartbeats later. The cat purred into her neck, licking her pelt where dirt had smudged it.

_What in StarClan's name is happening?_

Lilykit found herself laughing again, reaching over to nuzzle between the cat's cream-colored ears...


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"As you may know," Jaystar announced, "our medicine cat, Stormleaf, has passed on to StarClan." The DustClan leader dipped his head for a heartbeat, and then lifted it. "On a brighter note, Burningshadow and Cloudstream are expecting their first litter of kits."

Thornhaze cheered along with the crowd, watching as Burningshadow lifted his chin in pride from where he sat with the other deputies. But grief for Stormleaf overtook the gathered cats in a matter of seconds. A deep silence shadowed the clearing.

"Well, now that every Clan has shared, this gathering is over." Earthstar yowled as he leaped down from the rock and into the crater. "Come on." He gestured to MarshClan to follow him.

"Bye." Puddlemist meowed to Thornhaze as she and Snowtail left with the rest of MarshClan.

"Let's go." Strikestar landed right next to Thornhaze as he made his way out of the crater. The rest of ScarClan followed shortly after.

"I think there's something wrong in SunClan." Gorseleaf whispered to his former apprentice as they walked back to ScarClan territory. "There were only five warriors at the gathering."

Thornhaze stopped in his tracks. _Five?!_ Maybe Stormstar had decided to leave the majority of cats back at camp. That would be the most logical explanation. But why would he need so many warriors in camp? Maybe SunClan was going to disappear! Maybe-

"You okay?" Hailtwitch asked.

"Y-yes." The medicine cat started walking again. Why hadn't Tumbling Wind or Misty Light told him about this? Knowing the two medicine cats, it was unlike them to stay silent.

"Thornhaze," Cedarheart's mew took the ginger tom out of his thoughts. "I need to talk to you."

Thornhaze took a deep breath, pushing his concerns down. If SunClan was in real danger, they would tell the other Clans. Nodding to his brother, the two veered away from the patrol and dove into a nearby heather bush.

"What is it?" The medicine cat asked.

"Roseburst has been acting... weird." Cedarheart layed down, tucking his paws under his belly. "Can you maybe look at her?"

As he said this, Thornhaze felt the old fear that Cedarheart would ask about Lizardstone return. When he was a kit and new apprentice, that fear that his brother would find out had kept Thornhaze awake almost every night. Since then, the two brothers had grown apart, until Cedarheart was made a warrior and barely spoke to Thornhaze anymore. But he still watched the golden tom as he left for patrols and shared prey with his mate by the fresh-kill pile. He only hoped that Cedarheart did the same for him.

"Yeah, sure." Thornhaze looked at the ground.

"Thanks." Cedarheart's fur brushed the ginger tom's side as he pushed his way back onto the path.

And that was it.

He was gone.

Thornhaze took a deep breath and closed his eyes. _It's going to be okay._ He told himself. _We're both full grown cats now. It's totally normal for this to be happening._

_Or is it?_

He suddenly couldn't move. He recognized that voice, it had spoken to him once when he was an apprentice. It had told  
him to find the six, and that someone in the Clan knew about all this.

_Yes, it's completely normal._ Thornhaze thought.

_When you get back to camp,_ the voice ignored his comment, _look at your den. The floor, the walls, the things you've been trying to hide. And you will find an answer._

_Wait._

_What?_

_I recognize your voice…_ Not from when they chatted before, but from somewhere else. _You're someone I know._

There was no response.

"Thornhaze!" The voice was Gorseleaf's.

The medicine cat hadn't even realized that he'd blacked out. He lifted his head, realizing that he was in the medicine cats' den. "What happened?"

"Birchpaw found you." The older medicine cat meowed as Thornhaze sat up.

"Who?" He had never heard the name before.

"Hi." The tom looked to his left and stared eye-to-eye with a completely white she-cat, with the exception of one side of her muzzle, which was black. She reeked of DustClan. "I got lost on my way back to my territory, and I found you half-buried in a bush with only the whites of your eyes showing."

Thornhaze swallowed.

"Thank you." Gorseleaf broke in. "Now, you should return to your own Clan."

Birchpaw dipped her head and walked past the two medicine cats to exit the den. Thornhaze heard the scraping of claws as she hauled herself into the tunnel.

"What happened to you?" Gorseleaf asked after a heartbeat of silence.

"I don't know, and I don't want to talk about it." He pushed his way into his den, where he would hopefully catch a bit of sleep. But as he nuzzled into his nest, something caught his eye.

The deathberry branch.

The tom rose to his paws, walking over to the crevice where the fruit was stored. His breath caught in his throat when he saw a splash of red on the ground, which he had stepped in. The medicine cat lifted his paw and flexed his toes, feeling the gooeyness of it. _Someone was here…_ he looked back at the branch, taking note that there were definitely less berries than last time, _and they ate them!_


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Cedarheart had never been such at peace. The crisp air that signaled the coming of leaf-fall, the sun rising over the water, the scents of the forest, and the breathing of Roseburst were just perfect. After Birchpaw brought Thornhaze back to camp, the golden warrior had left camp to clear his mind, only to have his mate join him not that longer. The two talked all through the rest of the night, and now as the forest was turned ablaze from the sun's rays, he was finally able to calm down. And Roseburst must have fallen asleep at some point.

_I wish I could be here forever._

"Cedarheart?" The white she-cat's sleepy voice brought him back to reality. She lifted her head from where she was curled up next to him, licking his chin. "Is it morning?" She blinked at him.

"Look." The tom gestured to the rising sun.

"Wow." Roseburst gently got to her paws, blocking Cedarheart's view.

"Hey!"

The she-cat looked back at him, confusion in her eyes for less than a moment before it turned to humor. She stretched her tail and laid it across his muzzle. "Can you see now?"

Cedarheart raised a paw and swatted it away. "Do you mind?" His mate let out a _mrrow_ of laughter. He stood up, staring into her gray eyes. "You know, sometime I'm going to-"

A sudden rustling in the bushes behind him made him stop. "What is it?" Roseburst questioned, looking around.

Cedarheart lowered himself to the ground, turning around. He looked back, seeing the warrior do the same.

"Hush!" A voice that was all too familiar spoke on the other side of the bush. He stopped, letting the she-cat catch up. Together, they sat and waited for more.

"I'm sorry," another recognizable mew said, "but they didn't suspect a thing! It was great!"

"Well it won't be great if the whole of ScarClan finds us." Hollowlight meowed. "Then again, they're all a bunch of mouse-brains that are too blind to see the truth."

_What truth?_

"I mean, they _really_ thought you were from DustClan." She continued. "What flea-bags."

Cedarheart tensed his muscles and unsheathed his claws. _Birchpaw was trying to trick us! But why?_

"I think we should go to Strikestar." Roseburst whispered so softly that Cedarheart had to strain to hear her. "Then, we can expose her."

"No, wait." He meowed back. "I want to hear more."

"-crack from the inside." Hollowlight was saying. "I can't believe it. After Brambleblaze and Hollyflame died, no cat did anything! They just buried the poor she-cat and no cat ever spoke about it again. _Nobody_ ever tried to figure out who killed her!" The she-cat's voice was getting high and squeaky. "Oh, but _I _know!" She sounded like a crazed squirrel. "And soon they'll all know the truth!"

"What truth?" Birchpaw was wondering the same thing as Cedarheart.

There was a long pause. Then, Hollowlight spoke. "You'll know when everyone else finds out. It won't be long now. Just go back to MarshClan."

There was a scampering of paws, and Cedarheart imagined Birchpaw running in the direction of the SunClan border. A smirk spread across his face.

"Oh, Lizardtuft." Hollowlight spoke again. "I'll tell them. And then they'll come storming to you, and you will be killed."

Both ScarClan warriors gasped. Roseburst brushed up against Cedarheart's side, whispering into his ear; "Let's go back to camp."

The tom could barely make himself move. He slowly followed his mate, but something latched on to his tail when he tried to take a step. The golden warrior tripped and landed face-first in the dirt.

Suddenly, Roseburst leaped over him and attacked whatever had pulled his tail. Cedarheart quickly rose to his paws as soon as the claw had unlatched. He spun around, watching Roseburst fight in a tangle of yellow and gold fur. _Hollowlight!_

He unsheathed his claws, running to intercept the she-cats. Somehow, he eventually had Hollowlight pinned against the ground, his claws on her throat. The warrior gasped for air, while Roseburst pinned Hollowlight's front paws to the ground so she couldn't do any damage. It was only then that Cedarheart took his claws away from her throat, watching as the golden-red cat took a deep gasp of air.

"Why were you stalking me?" She rasped. "I was hunting."

"Liar!" Cedarheart gritted his teeth, leaning right over her head. "You were talking to Birchpaw. It had something to do with Lizardtuft."

Hollowlight gave a humorless laugh. "I was going to tell you anyway."

"Tell me what?!" The warrior demanded, resisting the urge to claw her throat out.

"You were born in the gorge that SkyClan used to live in." She answered. "Do you know why you weren't born in the Clan, like you were supposed to be?"

"Yes, I do." Cedarheart hissed. "My father killed my aunt, and Lizardtuft wanted to keep us safe from the Clan that might be angry that he had kits."

The she-cat gave another howl of laughter, which was cut short by Roseburst digging her claws into Hollowlight's paw pads. "Just answer him." The yellow she-cat urged.

"Brambleblaze isn't your father." Her lips drew back in a smile. "Lizardtuft was too cowardly to tell you the truth. You have no father."

"That's impossible." Cedarheart felt his heart beat harder and harder with every passing moment. _Cats can't have kits that way._ "You're lying."

"No." Hollowlight shook her head. "No I'm not. Have I ever lied to you before, Cedarheart?"

"How am I supposed to know?" He dug his back claws into the she-cat's ankles, which made her snarl in pain. "Now, tell me why you sent Birchpaw."

"SunClan is dying. Didn't you notice at the last Gathering?" Hollowlight asked.

"We're getting nowhere." Roseburst chimed in, letting go of the golden she-cat's front paws. "Let her go."

Cedarheart stared at his mate for a few heartbeats, then stepped off of Hollowlight. The she-cat sprang to her paws, wincing when the spots that were injured touched the grass. She limped in the direction of Mirror Lake.

"I'm sure we'll find out more." Roseburst's mew came. "She obviously wasn't going to tell us much."

"But she told me I have no father!" The tom suddenly lashed. "How can I rest until… I have find Thornhaze!" He pushed past his mate, speeding as fast as he could towards camp. Not bothering to take the tunnel, the warrior skidded off the edge of the hollow and went tumbling down the dirt, when he smashed into the ground. Wincing, Cedarheart stood up.

"Where's Thornhaze?" He asked Duckwing, who was sunning himself on a rock.

The black warrior stared at him like he had sprouted wings. "You okay? You look like you ate a piece of crow-food."

Cedarheart dug his claws into the dirt, giving his chest fur a few embarrassed licks. "Yeah, I'm okay. I just need to know where my brother is."

"Probably in his den doing some random medicine cat thing." Duckwing scrunched up his face.

The golden tom muttered his thanks before crossing the clearing to the medicine den. Sure enough, Thornhaze was there, his fur turned to flame in the rising sun. He was staring at his paw, which he had lifted to his face.

"Thornhaze!" The ginger tom seemed to snap out of his thoughts, turning to face Cedarheart.

"What is it? And no, I haven't seen to Roseburst yet."

"It's okay, she seems better now." He paused. "But that's not what I wanted to talk about."

Thornhaze moved a little, as if to hide something, but Cedarheart didn't care. There was a more pressing matter on his mind. "Hollowlight told me that we have no father, and Lizardtuft lied because she was afraid of something."

An emotion that the warrior wasn't able to identify flashed in his brother's eyes before he looked down.

"I don't know if we can trust her, she might be lying to get in our fur for some reason. I mean, she _can't_ be telling the truth, because we _have_ to have a fa-"

"She's right, Cedarheart." Thornhaze continued to stare at the ground. "What else did she tell you?"

"Wait, but how do you know she's right?" The tom's tail lashed back and forth across the dirt in anger. "What are you not telling me?"

Thornhaze looked up at his brother, raw pain in his eyes. "I'm sorry that I didn't tell you this earlier, but I was scared." The glint of his claws became visible under his paw fur as he sighed. "But here it goes."

"Before we were born, our mother had to kill Hollyflame or else they wouldn't have been able to stop Brambleblaze. She was stricken with grief, so she left the Clan and had us in the gorge." Thornhaze stared at the ground, his claws going in and out, while Cedarheart's claws stayed out.

"You didn't tell me." Cedarheart's voice was husky. "Why?"

"I was scared. I was a coward."

"And you are." The golden warrior gritted his teeth, turning around and walking out of the den. "I can't believe you, Thornhaze."


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"Look, Barkkit!" Lilykit peered around the corner, spotting the red berry branch. "Let's go!"

"Hold on!" Barkkit couldn't keep up with Lilykit as she ran through the medicine den, and understandably so. In the half-moon since the gathering, she had been excitedly waiting to let her brother get a taste of the delicious treats.

"Come on!" Lilykit urged. "We only have so much time before Gorseleaf and Thornhaze get back from the Ruins!"

Barkkit picked up the pace, reaching the branch where Lilykit was sitting. "Take one! They're delicious."

Barkkit reached out, gripping one between his teeth. Immediately after he was back on the ground, Lilykit reached up and ate three at a time. After a few heartbeats, she meowed through juice: "They're great, aren't they?"

There was no response.

"Barkkit?"

She turned around, looking at her brother. She almost fell when she saw him lying limp on the floor, his mouth open.

"Barkkit!" She screamed.

# # #

"Tonight we sit vigil for a life taken too early." Strikestar looked down at Barkkit's body. "He was a lively spirit, and he would've made an amazing warrior if given the chance."

Crimsonwing's face was buried in Almondnose's fur, whose ears were dropped on the side of his head. Lilykit was between her father's legs, not wanting to exist.

"The question is…" Cedarheart piped up, "Why were there deathberries in the medicine den?" He stared accusingly at his brother. Lilykit looked up at Thornhaze slowly, and saw that the medicine cat was laying on the ground, his face smacked on the ground. When Cedarheart spoke, he lifted his head. "StarClan told me to put them there."

"But you know that anyone can take them and eat them!" Cedarheart's voice got high. "You're our medicine cat, you're supposed to prevent these things!"

"That's enough." Strikestar told his nephew.

Thornhaze's head made a _thump_ as he smacked it back down. Lilykit wanted to go over to him and tell him that it wasn't his fault. It was hers.

# # #

When the burial patrol came back, Thornhaze was still there. The tom hadn't moved in a while. So Lilykit decided to wake him up.

"Thornhaze!" The kit nuzzled her head into the medicine cat's leg. "Wake up!"

He mumbled something, but didn't move.

"What?"

"I am awake." He raised his head, looking at Lilykit. "What do you need?"

"Nothing." Lilykit replied. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Thank you, but I'm okay." He didn't _look_ okay. Lilykit decided not to tell him, so she just sat and watched as he got up and dragged his paws to the medicine den.

"Lilykit." Crimsonwing's voice made her ears twitch, and the ginger she-cat put a tail around her daughter. "I think we should give Barkkit a warrior name."

She looked up at her mother, saying nothing.

"I like Barksong." The queen continued.

"Okay." Lilykit murmured. She wasn't about to argue with her mother. Especially when her brother had died, and it being her fault. _I hope Thornhaze will be okay._

But there was still the question on _how_ Barksong died. Lilykit had eaten tons of the berries, and nothing happened.

"I wanna go to sleep." Lilykit whined, even though it was sunhigh. She turned around and buried her face in her mother's belly. "I wanna go to sleep and never wake up."


	9. Chapter 8

**I've been wanting to add this character for literally forever.**

**Chapter 8**

They came running into ScarClan camp in the middle of the night, fear-scent coming off their pelts. Thornhaze was laying down outside the medicine den after watching the Clan go about their day until everyone went to sleep. As Burningshadow and the rest of the DustClan cats barged into the clearing, Cobaltstripe, who was on night watch, leaped on Hazelflame as she emerged from the tunnel. He yowled, and warriors came streaming out of the warriors' den, yawning and blinking their eyes open. Thornhaze wanted to laugh at them. They looked so stupid, all jumping over each other.

"Wait!" Burningshadow cried at the top of his lungs, and every cat stopped. Cobaltstripe walked over to the DustClan deputy, anger in his eyes.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, his teeth showing.

"What's going on?" Strikestar emerged from his den, jumping off highledge to join the crowd. "Burningshadow?"

"Cloudstream is having her kits." Burningshadow announced, his gaze sweeping the ScarClan cats. "And we have no medicine cat."

Thornhaze stood up suddenly, without thinking, and dashed to the worried tom. "Take me to her." He meowed robotically.

"Wait, wait." Strikestar looked at Gorseleaf, who came up behind Thornhaze. "It's only been half a moon since the gathering."

"She told me about a moon before that." The DustClan deputy was sounding more frantic.

"That's still early." Thornhaze turned to Strikestar. "Please. She needs a medicine cat."

Strikestar was silent for a heartbeat. He looked at the ground. "Alright."

Thornhaze started back towards the medicine den, but Burningshadow stopped him. "You can use Stormleaf's herbs. We need to go now!"

The two cats ran past the crowd and dashed out the tunnel, the DustClan patrol following close behind. As he ran, Thornhaze realized something. _I think before I do anything._ He had immediately sprang up to help, without a single word in his mind. It was as if someone else made him do it. He looked up at the stars, which were clear as they broke the treeline and skirted across the moor. _Are you trying to tell me something?_ He prayed to StarClan.

# # #

Screams filled the DustClan cave as the patrol funneled into the main clearing. _Cloudstream!_

"Where is she?" Thornhaze asked nobody. Burningshadow nudged him towards the nursery, where another yowl sounded.

"What do you need?" The deputy asked as Thornhaze stood in front of the pregnant she-cat.

"Just grab anything!" Thornhaze was starting to panic. He'd only delivered kits once before, when Barksong and Lilykit were born. And Gorseleaf had been with him.

Cloudstream was pulling at her nest with her claws, her eyes squeezed shut from the pain. Thornhaze gently put his paws on her swollen stomach, feeling three little bodies.

"It's going to be okay." He told her as Burningshadow came in with a bundle of mixed herbs. The DustClan deputy sat next to the medicine cat.

"Is there anything I can do?" He asked, curling his tail around his paws.

Thornhaze looked down, at the sack that had just fallen out of Cloudstream. "You can warm up you kit."

Burningshadow brushed past Thornhaze and nipped a hole in the covering of the small cat. It squealed, and Thornhaze let out a sigh of relief that it was okay. As the second kit emerged into the world, Thornhaze looked to see him licking the first kit, which cream with white stripes, and pushed the second bundle of fur towards their father.

Cloudstream let out a wail as the last kit left her. Thornhaze picked it up and put it in the curve of her belly. The queen turned her head and licked the small ginger kit who had its mouth open wide.

"Wait!" Thornhaze realized. He grabbed the kit from Cloudstream and put his paw on its chest.

There was no heartbeat.

"I'm sorry." Thornhaze picked it up by the scruff and laid it next to Cloudstream's face, which was a mix of emotions. "Your daughter is dead."

"We…" She choked. "We were going to name a she-kit Tusslekit." Her tongue flew over her kit's head.

"There's another she-cat." Burningshadow meowed from the other side of the cave. He brought the white kit to her mother. "We can name her Tusslekit." His words were as grief-stricken as Cloudstream's.

"No." She shook her head. "This little one is named Bubblekit."

"Bubblekit." Burningshadow dipped his head. "It's perfect. She looks just like you."

He gestured down to the third kit between his front legs. He then turned to Thornhaze. "I need your help with this one, I can't tell the gender."

_Huh._ Usually you were able to tell by the smell. The ginger tom sniffed the kit. All he could smell was blood with the usual milky nursery smell. He rolled the kit on its side as it snuggled with its siblings to suckle. _What in StarClan's name…?_

The kit wasn't a she-cat or a tom. Thornhaze sat back, staring at the cream kit.

"What is it?"

"It doesn't-" Thornhaze shook his head and paused. "I don't know."

Burningshadow and Cloudstream looked at each other.

"It has white stripes." The deputy changed the subject. "But they're all weird, like zig-zags. I think we should name it Zigkit."

"Our kit is not an 'it'." Cloudstream hissed at her mate. "Until we know if they're a she-kit or a tomkit, they're called 'they'."

"Alright." Both toms nodded.

Cloudstream turned her head to Tusslekit. "We should bury her."


	10. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

"Hello!"

Lizardstone's head shot up, and the smell of Thornhaze wafted up her nose. This was the second time her son had come to visit her in the past moon. He had told her last time about how he had gone to help Cloudstream of DustClan with her kitting, and was now their temporary medicine cat until Bubblekit was old enough. He liked talking about the kits, _a lot._ Lizardstone remembered being surprised when he told her that Zigkit was transgender and Bubblekit turned out to be mute.

"I like her." Thornhaze had said. "She's a huge help in the medicine den, and when I asked her if she wanted to be a medicine cat, she nodded."

Now, Thornhaze bounded into the tree-cave like a kit. "How are you?" He asked.

"I'm okay." Lizardstone couldn't see him, but that was her choice. She made herself blind using the Stones, because she didn't deserve to see the beauty that was the world. Thornhaze didn't know that.

"I decided to teach Bubblekit to speak with her tail." Thornhaze exclaimed. "Different tail movements mean different things."

"But wouldn't the whole of DustClan have to learn how to understand her? And isn't she only three moons old?"

"The earlier she learns, the more she'll succeed in the rest of her life. And Burningshadow is already showing DustClan what each movement means."

"Great."

"Oh, and I have more news. At the last gathering, Cedarheart and Roseburst announced they're having kits!" Lizardstone heard the _thump_ as Thornhaze jumped. "I'm going to be an uncle!"

Lizardstone didn't respond.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"No, I'm not."

"Why not?"

"I had a vision." She blurted out. "I'm sure that seems like no big deal to you because you're a medicine cat and all, but it was scary and-"

"What happened?" Thornhaze's voice grew louder as he leaned in.

"Hollowlight happened." Lizardstone's voice dropped to a whisper. "She's going to destroy the Clans. She's going to tell everyone else about Hollyflame."


End file.
